: including only what is most basic or necessary
a bare-bones email program
Skyscrapers of steel hung with curtain walls of glass, these sleek buildings were impressive monuments to bare-bones architectural integrity.—
C. A. Mills
C. A. Mills
: the barest essentials, facts, or elements
the bare bones of her life
Examples of bare-bones in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Peter Sullivan, Axios, 4 Dec. 2024
The vibe is neither luxurious GT nor bare-bones street racer, but somewhere in-between.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 4 Dec. 2024
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2024
There is a place for bare bones hotel rooms — just not on this list.
—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bare-bones 
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Adjective
Some sources still expected that negotiators will run out of time and have to fall back on a three-month bare-bones extension of expiring programs.
—Peter Sullivan, Axios, 4 Dec. 2024
The vibe is neither luxurious GT nor bare-bones street racer, but somewhere in-between.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 4 Dec. 2024
Plural noun
The move comes as budget airlines face increasing competition from legacy carriers, which are edging them out of some airports with their own low-cost fares for a bare bones plane ticket.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2024
There is a place for bare bones hotel rooms — just not on this list.
—Catherine Garcia, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bare-bones
Dictionary Entries Near bare-bones
Cite this Entry
“Bare-bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-bones. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
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